Chris Maas Foiler Nominated in Foiling Week Awards
Retired boatbuilder Chris Maas lives in the San Juans on an island with no ferry service, so he built this fantastic electric foiling catamaran from recycled parts to be his commuter.
His GIZMO has been nominated in the Motorboat and Sustainable categories at Foiling Week. It’s marvelous to see Chris up against the over-hyped and overpriced foiling toys, best of luck to him.
Will the Oz Goose fly?
Iain Henehan continues his foiling experiments with an Oz PD Goose, an ultra-simple 12ft (3.5m) plywood club sailing dinghy designed by Michael Storer.
The Goose was introduced as a larger family version of the OzRacer some 6 years ago. But it was overlooked as “just a bigger OzRacer” until three years ago when Ian Henehan in Texas started to put videos of the boat going very fast with one on board (up to 12.9 knots) and sailing well…
VOR Proa Foiler
Harryproa has been busy of late. Here’s a nicely modeled proposal for the new VOR Inshore Foiler races. It is, naturally, a proa in configuration, but that is where the similarity to a Pacific sailing canoe ends. The fully foiling triscaph may be vapor-ware at the moment, but considering the obvious thought that went into the proposal from shipping logistics to VIP guest seating we hope this one makes it to prototype stage. Read Rob…
Almost Hit a Tree
BROOMSTICK is a 15’ home-designed & built hydrofoil trimaran by Doug Halsey. It first sailed as a foiler in 2004 and has been refined gradually each year since then (only sailing a handful of times per year). Although it wasn’t intended to be the ultimate in speed, it routinely exceeds 20 knots, with a lifetime best speed of 28.7 knots. Box section hulls, round aluminum tube beams, deep-V hydrofoils and used beach cat sails - what’s…
I want to believe
Dave and Steve Clark talk about their new UFO foiler destined for production. Dave demonstrates the launch procedure (piece of cake), and takes the boat out for a quick flight. The boat is designed to remove the “user hostility” from the Moth foiler sailing experience, thus broadening the appeal of hydrofoil sailing.
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Walk on Water
I had no idea this was even possible. Kai Lenny SUP downwind hydro-foiling. A hoverboard that works over water!
The Foil Alphabet
Rudders and centerboards with hydrofoils, profiled arms, wing masts… after the 34th America’s cup, it would be easy to say “we are in the age of wings”. And now it’s not only on multihulls but also on monohulls!
However, wing masts and hydrofoils on sailboats are not a new invention. In 1913 Alexander Graham Bell and Casey Baldwin built Nancy, a hydrofoil sailing model. In 1938, Robert Rowe Gilruth, the “father of America’s human…
The Trickle Down Effect
I’ve had an interest in hydrofoil sailboats ever since I ever heard about them, when I found ‘The 40-Knot Sailboat’ by Bernard Smith in the Kirkland Public Library as a teenager, which I must have checked out a dozen times. A few years later I was glancing through the Whole Earth Catalog at the neighbors and I saw an entry for ‘Flying Hydrofoils’, published by the AYRS in 1970, which I promptly ordered. So it has been with considerable…
America’s Cup Trickle Down
The new WindRider Rave V hydrofoil trimaran
WindRider has announced that it is re-entering the sailing hydrofoil market with a new 17’ design that is aimed at overcoming some of the chief limitations of the type, such as being a pain in the ass to trailer, rig, beach and sail.
WindRider and their design partners developed the original concept of bringing foiling or “flying on the water” to the everyday sailor back in 1998, well…
Hydrofoil Cruiser
Paul Bieker has announced this interesting new design on the Biekerboats blog. The foils resemble what is quickly becoming the standard on high performance race boats such as the A-class. We don’t think the B53 is intended to completely fly both hulls with this set up - the foils reduce displacement and provide dynamic stability.
Introducing the B53 high-performance cruising cat, just beginning construction at Gold Coast Yachts in the…
